Hi Ho Hi Ho (It's Back to the Gym I Go)

After weeks and weeks of pretending the gym was an optional experience, I finally made my way back on Sunday. And, of course, like everything else when it comes to health and weight loss, doing it was a thousand times easier than I thought it would be and the satisfaction I got from having gone was worth a whole lot more than the enjoyment I would have gotten from sitting on the couch all day long. Which was what I wanted to do. Why is it that my lazy impulse is stronger yet less satisfying?

Not only did I finally return to working out, but I went back again. And again. And again. I worked out five times this week, as if I'd never stopped. I even went three times BEFORE work. I've never voluntarily worked out early in the morning before. I felt like a warrior. I felt like a normal human being who prioritizes health and wellness. And on Friday, when the girl at the front counter saw that I'd come in early three times, well that felt good. Like I wasn't just doing the right thing, but I'd entered the world of people who do the right thing. It was a fabulous feeling.

Here's my workout schedule for the next few weeks:

Sunday: gym
Monday: rest
Tuesday: gym
Wednesday: gym
Thursday: rest
Friday: gym
Saturday: gym

Of course weekends when I go out of town, I will have to make an adjustment. But I want to stick to this schedule as closely as possible for a month before I re-evaluate.

(And yes, that's a picture from my gym. I love it's vibe, and I thought I'd share.)

Progress Photos: 15 Pounds Lost

320 lbs. (May 14th, 2009)


304.8 lbs. (August 11th, 2009)

Healthy You Challenge Check In #13

Man I feel so on plan right now. I replaced my morning breakfast cart bagle with a whole grain one and am measuring my own cream cheese. I added a morning snack of fruit to my routine. And I made it back into the gym! Twice! All of this feels great. Of course, the number on the boosted my satisfaction even more:

Starting Weight (5/13/09): 320 lbs.
Last Week's Weight: 306.6
Current Weight: 304.8 lbs

Weight lost this week: 1.8 lbs.
Total Weight Lost: 15.2 lbs.

I'm 10% to my goal! Which means progress pics. I took them today, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. If you can wait that long.

From This Morning's Post Secret

I think we all feel this way at times. Not that I'm looking for anyone, but what happens if you lose all the weight and it isn't what you thought it'd be? That's why you have to lose weight for a plethora of reasons, and they can't be to get a guy or gal or to prove someone wrong, etc. There have to be internal reasons as well as external, otherwise the process is just too scary.

For Dinner: Avocado Tacos

Avocado, bell pepper, corn, garlic, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice in whole wheat tortillas with organic mozzarella cheese.

Garlic Squashes "Death Signal"

This information seems like a good thing to know:

"Much has been made of the benefits of eating garlic, but often left out of the discussion is what kind of garlic to eat. Is fresh-crushed better than paste or pre-peeled cloves? What about garlic powder? How about just popping a garlic pill?

A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine suggests that for certain elements of cardiac health, fresh-crushed is better than processed.

[snip]

The researchers found that while both slurries provided some cardioprotective benefits, the hearts of rats that had eaten the fresh-crushed garlic had less damage and better recovery after blood flow was restricted for 30 minutes. Among other things, the fresh-crushed garlic was better at suppressing chemicals that act as a “death signal” for heart muscle cells."
-Henry Fountain, New York Times

Tea with Links

I'm drinking some green tea and trying to catch up on some on the blogs, so I thought I'd post the links to some of the good stuff.

It may be good advice, but the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.

Someone who's doing an awesome job.

Nothing sounds more fantastic than a Bollywood Flashmob.

A total bummer: Wal-Foods

I really should get into coupons more. Hot damn.

Healthy You Challenge Check In #12

This week was about kicking butt and feeling good. I got my first weight-loss compliment from a coworker, so that felt good. And now for the weigh-in results:

Starting Weight (5/13/09): 320 lbs.
Current Weight: 306.6 lbs

Weight lost this week: 0.9 lbs.
Total Weight Lost: 13.4 lbs.


1.6 lbs to go until I post progress pics!

Pescetarian Noncommittal

I put the tiniest tippy toe in, by giving myself a two week Pescetarian challenge. Today is the last day, and I have to say it's been great.

For those unfamiliar with pescetarianism, it's basically a the halfway house between full fledge omnivores and vegetarians. You can still eat seafood, but no land mammals. So far I've had seafood about twice a week, mostly at restaurants. I'm not commenting on morality or politics, just mentioning this because I've discovered a few things:

1. It was much, much easier than I thought it would be.
2. It made eating within my calorie goals a lot easier because it cut out some of the most calorie dense foods.
3. Between cutting out meat and getting better sleep, I've felt truly energetic all day.


So in light of how easy this adjustment has been, I'm going to continue the challenge for two more weeks. But I'm not going to make any plans for after that. So I'm considering myself briefly pescetarian noncommittal. Which, when combined with being a secular progressive, seems like a lot of syllables to describe a fairly simple lifestyle: veggies, fish, and universal health care.

Meausrement Update

The first time I took my measurements, I used ribbon and then measured the ribbon, but this time I had an actual measuring tape. So take these results with a grain of salt. I'll update them again in six weeks.